The 2026 World Cup quarterfinals kick off on July 9, and Peru’s América TV will carry two of those matches on free-to-air television. What’s not standard is the infrastructure running underneath this tournament: Kraken as FIFA’s first-ever official crypto exchange partner, Avalanche powering digital collectibles, and fan tokens giving supporters actual utility beyond face paint and vuvuzelas.

The broadcast deal and what’s behind it

América TV, Peru’s canal 4, secured rights to 40 matches across the tournament through a sublicensing agreement with DIRECTV. That package includes 25 group stage matches and 15 knockout stage contests, with coverage extending to streaming platforms and YouTube.

The round of 16 wrapped up on July 7, narrowing the field to eight teams chasing the trophy. Peruvian viewers now get at least two quarterfinal matches on open signal, a significant deal in a country where pay-TV penetration still leaves millions relying on free-to-air broadcasts for major events.

Kraken, Avalanche, and crypto’s World Cup moment

In June 2026, FIFA named Kraken as its Official Crypto Exchange Supporter, a first in World Cup history. No crypto exchange had ever held an official FIFA tournament designation before.

FIFA selected the Avalanche blockchain to power FIFA Collect, its digital collectibles platform. Rather than building on a generic NFT marketplace, FIFA chose a Layer 1 chain known for its throughput and subnet architecture, capable of handling transaction spikes when millions of fans simultaneously want to mint a digital highlight from a quarterfinal goal.

Fan tokens and prediction markets are heating up

Chiliz, through its Socios platform, powers official fan tokens for numerous national teams and clubs participating in the tournament. These tokens grant holders voting rights on minor team decisions and unlock exclusive experiences.

Prediction markets tied to match outcomes have also seen significant activity. Crypto-linked platforms have reported billions in cumulative betting volume around World Cup matches, a figure that dwarfs what these platforms see during regular league seasons.

What this means for investors

CHZ, the native token of the Chiliz ecosystem, has historically seen price action correlated with tournament milestones. AVAX benefits from the transactional load of FIFA Collect minting activity. For Kraken, the partnership is a customer acquisition play: every broadcast in every country carries FIFA’s sponsor lineup, putting Kraken’s brand in front of viewers across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

FIFA isn’t dabbling in crypto with a one-off NFT drop. It built dedicated blockchain infrastructure, signed a named exchange as an official supporter, and integrated fan tokens with actual governance utility. Traders watching the quarterfinals this week should monitor on-chain activity on Avalanche, CHZ trading volumes, and Kraken’s user growth metrics as leading indicators.